A unique strain of gonorrhea identified in two residents in Massachusetts showed little or no response to five classes of antibiotics, health officials said Jan. 19.

COVID-19 hospitalizations are declining nationwide even as the highly transmissible omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 gains prevalence. 

Holiday disruptions are likely behind discrepancies in COVID-19 data that have emerged in the last few weeks, according to health experts. The nation's daily average for hospitalizations has fallen by about 15 percent over the last two weeks, data from The New York Times shows. Meanwhile, data also suggests COVID-19 deaths have risen within the same time frame.

Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, medical and health services managers and physical therapist assistants are among the top 20 fastest growing jobs, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

In the first two years of the pandemic, St. Louis Children's Hospital saw the average number of children and teens needing treatment for gunshot wounds increase by 50 percent, St. Louis Public Radio reported Jan. 18. 

Below are eight hospitals, health systems or hospital operators that posted job listings seeking chief medical officers in the last two weeks.

HHS does not have a strong framework in place to adequately monitor research involving potential pandemic pathogens, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a Jan. 18 report. 

Many hospital employees are unable to identify the meaning of emergency codes, which could hinder an urgent response to incidents, according to a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Hybrid immunity, the combination of COVID-19 recovery and immunization, provides up to 12 months of protection against severe reinfection or hospitalization, according to a study published in The Lancet on Jan. 18. 

Hospitals have leaned on wage increases and contract workers as short-term solutions to the nation's nursing shortage, but these actions fail to address many of the issues that are spurring nurses to leave the bedside for roles with better hours and less stress.

For the first time, the slight majority of Americans rate their healthcare quality negatively, with 31 percent rating it as "only fair" and — a new high — 21 percent reporting it as "poor," a recent Gallup poll found.

Below are five hospitals, health systems or hospital operators that have recently posted job listings for chief quality officers. 

The weekly rate of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus peaked in early December, new CDC data shows. 

The Joint Commission published two new alerts on Jan. 17 to reduce morbidity and mortality in pregnant and postpartum patients: a sentinel alert on eliminating racial and ethnic disparities, and a safety advisory on mental health conditions as the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths. 

A study by West Virginia University researchers found that more people of color become nurse practitioners and go on to serve people in marginalized communities when they are working in a state with full practice authority.

Washington's Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce held a public hearing on Jan. 17 for a bill that would create minimum staffing standards across the state's hospitals. Senate Bill 5236 has garnered strong support from nurses and opposition from the Washington State Hospital Association. 

Thirty-eight percent of Americans said they put off medical treatment in 2022 because of the cost, according to a Gallup poll published Jan. 17. This marks a 12 percentage point increase from those who said the same a year earlier, and the highest since Gallup began tracking the question in 2001. 

Jennifer Nestor, BSN, RN, chief nursing officer at Kingwood, W.Va.-based Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital, was appointed president-elect of the West Virginia Organization of Nursing Leadership.

St. Joseph Medical Center in Houston has named Michelle Ziakas, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer, the hospital said Jan. 17.

The Joint Commission has undergone a sweeping overhaul of quality metrics, named new members to its board of commissioners and announced several other moves over the last several weeks.